The Summers When You Were Gone
by alcxis
Summary: Makoto moves away to America in the summer where he was nine. Shortly after he moved, he stopped contacting Haru for fear that his friend held a grudge against him for moving away. And when he returns years later, Makoto's friendship turns into something that it wasn't seven years ago.
1. I - Summer 2008

Oh hello! I know I haven't posted in forever and I'm sorry...but this here is my new Free! fic. I think it's my first time posting Free! fan fiction? Except for the fact that I have already posted this on the AO3. But I thought maybe I could get the word out by posting on here? So here's the first chapter. Thank you very much for reading!

* * *

 **I. Summer 2008**

 _the summer where he was gone_

 _nanase haruka_

 _dear god of mine_

 _please hold back time_

 _stop it for me_

 _there's a summer day i don't want to see_

 _i don't want summer to come_

 _even if only for a day_

 _please let him stay_

 _i don't want it to come;_

 _the summer where he was gone_

 _there's a day in summer_

 _that i can't bear to see_

 _and when that day comes_

 _it will be the end of me_

 _just a short day will do_

 _if to have just 24 hours more with you_

 _i don't want it to arrive_

 _the summer where i had to say goodbye_

 _when that august day dawns_

 _in the summer where he was gone_

 _._

 _god, oh god_

 _let everything happen by its own way_

 _but by the stars and the moon_

 _let this boy stay_

 _he's leaving soon_

 _and your own shining stars_

 _are taking him far_

 _so far away_

 _please, please let him stay_

 _god, oh god, please don't take him away._

* * *

"Haru, please don't cry," Makoto whispered gently. "Haru..."

Haru looked up at Makoto, eyes puffy and watering. It was the first time he had cried in a while; the first time in eight years. He had only ever cried as a baby. "I don't want you to leave, Makoto," Haru's voice came out feeble, much unlike his usual, taciturn self.

His friend embraced him tightly, small hands gripping hard onto the fabric of Haru's navy blue and white striped polo shirt. "I'm sorry Haru," Makoto said. Haru could feel warm tears drip onto his shoulder, and the hands clutching his shirt balled into even tighter fists. "Haru, I'm sorry," Makoto blubbered, his cries crescendoing into something awful and primal and heart-wrenching, "Haru, I'm so sorry! Please...I'm sorry."

Haru's tears dried on his own face, and he fell limp into Makoto, who kept sobbing, cries of pain only muffled by the soaked, wrinkled polo. "Makoto, it's okay. I'm going with you."

The boy looked up, giving Haru a despondent smile. "Oh, Haru...Haru..."

Haru indignantly shook his head. "No, if you can't stay, then I'm going with you," he said confidently.

"But you can't," Makoto hoarsely whispered.

"Why not?" Haru huffed, but all of a sudden, his tears were returning and his words came out more as a pained sob than anything.

"I don't know, but you need to stay here and wait for me," Makoto murmured. "Promise me, Haru, that you'll stay here and wait for me to come back."

Haru nodded, throwing himself into Makoto's arms again. "I promise."

Haru also promised himself he would never cry again. He kept that promise for a long time.

* * *

Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you'll continue! Support and constructive criticism is always appreciated. Please feel free to review, fav, and follow! Thanks xx


	2. II - Spring 2012

Hello! Welcome to chapter two. (If you would like to read the whole thing up to date to the newest chapter, check it out on the AO3. It'll take me a while to upload all the chapters onto here. Just search for "The Summers When You Were Gone" on the AO3.) I know that someone asked for longer chapters, but unfortunately, what I am posting here has already been posted beforehand, so I can't change the length. It would be difficult. Anyway, I'll try to post more often, but as for now, please enjoy!

* * *

 **II. Spring 2012**

 _haru - iwatobi, kanagawa prefecture, japan_

It had been five years since Makoto moved away, and Haru had long since forgotten about his best friend. Occasionally, the boy with the lucid green eyes danced into his mind, but would soon be forgotten again.

Haru was 13 now, turning 14 in June. He floated on the pool water, the surface covered with cherry blossoms. The pink blooms rained down, and he only stared at the moon as they slowly buried him.

* * *

 _makoto - santa cruz, california, usa_

Makoto was also 13 now, and he was to be turning 14 in November. He had stopped contacting Haru, and lost their shared memories as well.

The American girls flocked toward him even more than the Japanese girls did. But regardless of where he was, Makoto was always going to have a swarm of girls around. He didn't much care for any of them, and always politely rejected them when they confessed their feelings to him.

But there was a girl that he liked. Her name was Margaret, and he thought her quite pretty. She was older than him, though, and he had no chance with an older girl.

At his school, Makoto had found some Japanese-speaking friends, but for the most part, he was forced to utilise his poor English.

Often times, the girls overheard him speaking in his native tongue, and they would giggle amongst themselves, blushing profusely. Makoto's English was far from natural, but he sounded so _free_ in his native Japanese.

It was a fortunate thing, though, that those girls didn't understand what he was saying.

One of Makoto's friends, Shouta, sighed. "Don't you think they're annoying?" he said, glancing over at them. He knew full well that they couldn't understand a word.

Makoto shrugged. "Not really. It's nice that they like me."

Shouta rolled his eyes. "You're just too nice," he said, "Everyone has a breaking point. Even you, Makoto-kun."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. But they aren't annoying me. I'm not at my breaking point."

"Whatever," Shouta mumbled, "I don't really want to deal with that powwow of yours, so I'll see you later, alright?"

"See you later, Shouta-kun!" Makoto waved as his friend hurried away. He turned around to find said powwow swarming him.

"Makoto, you sound so sexy when you speak Japanese!" One girl swooned.

"Yeah, will you teach me how to speak Japanese?" Another inquired.

"Oh, Marina, don't be greedy! Maybe we want to learn Japanese, too!" The first girl exclaimed.

Makoto laughed gently. "I don't think my English is good enough for that. Sorry, girls."

The girls giggled, disagreeing with him. "No, you're English is good, Makoto!" And, "I'm sure you'd be a fine tutor..." Or, "Aww, what a shame. I think..."

He waved at them, subtly cutting them off, and they swooned, failing to notice the uncomfortable glint in his eyes.


End file.
